These side-by-side videos tell the story behind adult domestic cat kneading. PLEASE CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON AT BOTTOM-LEFT OF THE VIDEO TO PLAY THE TWO VIDEOS SIMULTANEOUSLY. Despite the copious amount of information on the internet about this form of feline behaviour some people don’t know the reason. Fair enough. Here is the reason. The newborn kitten kneads their mother’s breast to encourage the production of colostrum when feeding. The video on the left shows this clearly. Clearly, the adult cat is no longer a newborn kitten feeding at their mother’s breast but they think they are kittens because their every need is provided for by their human caregiver who acts as if they are surrogate mothers. This encourages the adult cat to never grow up emotionally and so they drop into the habits they had when they were newborn kittens even if it has nothing to do with feeding on their mother’s colostrum. It is entirely instinctive. The adult cat most often kneads their owners clothes while on their lap or their bedding as it smells strongly of them. Or as seen in the video they knead any part of their owner including their face. Just keep the claws trimmed please!
cat mothering
How to stop your cat scratching furniture by imposing your authority over them (by Elen)
This is an article by Elen, a visitor to PoC. We humans are claimed to be divided in to two categories, Cat people and Dog people. I basically agree. I do love dogs myself; I do however not feel I have a natural way of communicating with a dog, I call this ‘I don’t …
Why do some cats like to take walks with their owners?
Cats take walk with their owners because they are behaving as a developing kitten would when they follow their mother from the nest in their development towards independence. It often happens along a well-worn path or track which is known to the owner and becomes known to the cat. Please read on. On this …
Kitten’s cry versus baby’s cry
A kitten’s cry to demand something or other, usually warmth, food and security is more attractive than the baby’s cry. Discuss! Both the kitten’s cry and the baby’s cry are sounds which get the maternal and paternal juices flowing normally. It doesn’t always apply. Not everybody has the usual maternal instincts. There is a …
Is it okay to lick my cat?
Is the question relevant to our lives? People ask it nonetheless. But frankly it is almost irrelevant. However, exceedingly rarely some cat owners do lick their cat and an avowed and self-declared crazy cat lady does it all the time because she wants to behave like a true mother cat caring for her newborn …
Can cats and dogs sense human intentions?
Yes, is the answer to the question in the title and that assessment comes from scientific studies which have shown that cats and dogs can read humans through their body language and voice and from personal experience and anecdotal evidence. The video on this page is an example. A good one and a good …
Female domestic cats respond particularly quickly to urgent kitten calls
A study found that female domestic cats responded about 10% faster to kitten calls which conveyed to them a high level of urgency compared to kitten calls which were assessed as non-urgent. Females evaluate kitten’s emotional state The conclusion of the researchers was that female cats are able to evaluate the emotional state of …
Sibling suckling. Why do adult domestic cats do it?
“Sibling suckling” is when domestic cats beyond the age of weaning suckle on each other for reassurance and comfort.